Ukraine said its forces have encircled Russian troops around the frontline city of Kupiansk, “liberating” nearby settlements as President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on the ground in body armor to hail fresh battlefield gains. At the same time, Kyiv has expanded the war far beyond the land front by striking Russian oil platforms in the Caspian Sea, while Russia has hit back with massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s Odesa region and renewed pressure on the front lines, even as complex peace ideas involving territorial concessions circulate in talks with Washington. Watch for details